[WikiEN-l] [Fwd: [Wikipedia-l] HMSO Crown copyright FOIA Request]

Mon May 23 18:00:45 UTC 2005

I think this probably should go also to wikien-l.  I've already updated
our copyrights page.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Wikipedia-l] HMSO Crown copyright FOIA Request
From: David Newton <davidp.newton at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, May 23, 2005 18:40
To: wikipedia-l at Wikimedia.org

It has long been nagging me about the policy of HMSO with respect to
Crown copyright material outside of the UK. Inside the UK the position is
clear: published material from 1954 or earlier is out of copyright as it
was published over 50 years ago. Outside the UK the position of Crown
copyright material has long been ambiguous.

I therefore sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the Office for
Public Sector Information (what HMSO has changed its name to)
requesting clarification of the length of copyright for published
Crown copyright material outside the UK. I received the following
reply from their Information Policy Adviser:

"Dear David,

Thank you for your email enquiry dated May 23rd, 2005.  Crown
copyright protection in published material lasts for fifty years from the
end of the year in which the material was first published.
Therefore, to use your example, material published in 1954, and any Crown
copyright material published before that date, would now be out of
copyright, and may be freely reproduced throughout the world.

I hope this information will be helpful to you, but if you have any
further questions please feel free to get in touch with me again."

So, it appears that Crown copyright material that has been published in
1954 or earlier is considered public domain worldwide by OPSI and is thus
fair game for the Wikipedia to use.

David Newton
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